News
|
||||
Deputy
Minister Suriyaarachchi escapes assassination bid Ministerial Security Division (MSD) guard W.M.J. Premakumara Wasala and Mr. Suriaayarachchi's personal bodyguard Roshan Prasad alias Army Roshan were killed in the attack while driver Asela Dinesh was injured. Mr. Suriyaarachchi was about to take off for a meeting with Minister Mangala Samaraweera regarding the so-called Ops 113 move aimed at getting six to seven opposition MPs to the government side. After the attack, the deputy minister was rushed to safety by his bodyguards and reports said he was unhurt. Mr. Samaraweera who visited the scene later took him to meet President Chandrika Kumaratunga at President's House. The motive for the attack was not clear but sources close to the deputy minister pointed out that the personal bodyguard, Army Roshan, who was killed, had also provided security on Friday to JHU rebel monk Ven. Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha Thera, who went to courts on Thursday, alleging he was kidnapped and forced to resign by JHU leaders. However, some police detectives said evidence indicated that the target was Army Roshan, who was a deserter, and it might have been a personal grudge with no link to the deputy minister. Deputy Minister's personal bodyguard, Dinesh Maduranga, said he had narrowly escaped by getting off the first escort vehicle to give a message to the deputy minister just before the killer opened fire. "As I got off the vehicle, I heard something like firecrackers. When I looked back, I saw a lone gunman clad in a t-shirt and black trousers firing at the occupants of the vehicle," Mr. Maduranga said. Police detectives probing the attack said they had information that the gunman had escaped in a white van. Former Army captain S. Senadeera who coordinates the deputy minister's security said he had picked up a stone to hit the gunman and then picked up a police officer's gun to fire at the killer, but the gun was blank. |
||||
Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
